A White Christmas Wish

Me and Those Two are off to London on Monday. According to the weather forecast, we just might be able to have a white Christmas.

In the meantime, Ruhi and I are busy fending off an imminent cough and cold. Yes, of all things to have just before heading to freezing cold weather...

And as such, my blogging shall become slightly less regular over the holidays. So here's wishing everyone a Happy Christmas, and an Awesome New Year!

(pic via foxnews)

New Stuff At Nuroots

Gratuitous fabulous jewelry pic

The Dreicer & Co Belle Epoque Diamonds and Natural Gray Pearls necklace

"Dreicer and who?" you say? Dreicer & Co. used to be the leading fine jewelry maker in America. The necklace above dates back to 1905. During the Great Depression, the company was bought over by none other than the French jewelry giant, Cartier.

Strike Out!

That's what I am trying to do. Hope and pray, and most importantly, keep calm.

You see, I am booked to travel, with These Two, to London, over the holidays. Thing is, we're booked on British Airways, which has announced plans to strike, right smack on the dates we're going and coming back. I'm just hoping and praying our flights are not affected.

In the meantime, I shall be shopping as usual. Presents gotta get bought no? ;)

(pic from jaimebeattie's Etsy shop)

Things These Two Get Up To

What to do when a bus ride gets a little too long...

The Ultimate Lip Gloss

Yup, you read it right. It's called Huge Lips Skinny Hips, from the mastermind at Purple Lab, Karen Robinovitz. She started the company on the basis of this groundbreaking lip gloss, with the vision to combine insider beauty tricks with state-of-the-art knowledge on ingredients.

So Huge Lips Skinny Hips is what it is. It's lip gloss infused with a lip plumper, which penetrates the skin and gives it a fuller effect, and leaves you with a slight tingly sensation. And, get this, it's also laced with an appetite suppressant. How fricken genius is that!? Not that I'm one for starving and/or barfing, but you have to admit, this is one heck of a money-maker.

AND the shades are seriously to-die-for, don't you think?

New Stuff

This dramatic purple agate choker is the last of my agate slices, and I don't think I'll be getting any more of them. These actually sold quite quickly. And I think there are a couple still at colette, but the ones there are of a slightly higher grade of agates, and hence more pricey. This one is currently up at the Etsy shop.

The pretty little things below are what I am focussing on at the mo.

Swarovski rose pearl with 925 silver

Amethyst with 925 silver

Swarovski cream pearl with 925 silver

My very accomplished sister, Bindi, is a fashion desginer with her very own label and boutiques. Nuroots is located at Great World City and Holland Village Shopping Mall, and is a haven of smart casual and feminine yet slightly edgy looks. There is something for everyone in that store, and absolutely THE place to get everyday-chic mixables.

I recently started to put some of my stuff in her boutique, some easy-to-wear versatile stuff, that's ideal for everyday smarts. These are also up at my Etsy shop.

Country Done Gone Chic

This is the gorgeous home of Jill Brinson, the creative director of home decor chain Ballard Designs. Interestingly, this house is no where near the country, and has a 20-storey apartment block for a neighbour, somehwere in Atlanta.

Just goes to show: it's all what you make of it... :)

I am having serious lust for that loft library...

...and, ah, the romance of a random blanket hanging about.

Those windows... *sigh*...

... more windows! Two words: SOO. PER.

Did some one say afternoon beer in the backyard?

And don't you think that 20-storey building did a very good job making itself inconspicuous while the cameras clicked away?

(via housebeautiful)

Help! It's the Holidays!

I do not lie. The holidays are such crazy times for me.

You see, when it's not the holidays, the kids are in school, orders are at a pretty sane and cope-able pace, so home-work and work-work is, well, nice and sorted.

But when holidays come, things go a bit bonkers. First of all, These Two are home all day, which I swear, drives me to drink. I spend the days mediating fights, answering banal questions, policing homework, on top of the planning and shopping for the meals, cooking and running of the household... I think very few people realise that the entire existence of a stay-at-home mom is one of Pure Service...

Anyhoo, so I HAVE to take them out of the house every other day, either to the museums or the malls, or any vaguely entertaining spot that is kid-friendly. At the same time, orders have poured in for the festive season. So basically, I have half the time to work, and double the amount of work to complete. Maddening, or what?

So today is a good time to take a break from my "holidays". Thanks to my super mum, I will have the entire afternoon to myself. I am going to yoga extra long today. With light, pampering stretches, instead of gungho stuff like bootcamp balances and menacing warriors. I am going to seriously relish today's rounds of cat poses, sage twists and back bends. Ahhh, sounds lovely already...


... and then I am going to get right back into It. But I'd be rested and raring to go. :)


(pic via flickr)

New Stuff

And this time, something completely different. Something not ethnic, delicate, sophisticated-boho...

So I got the rest of my large dyed agates, that I had used for my chunky bangles, and played around with them.

The result are these statement pieces. I had so much fun, I had to go out and get way more agates...

It is not decided where these might go. But if Miss Joanna at colette will have them, they will be at the new Scarlet and Ebony at the spanking-new and prestigious, Mandarin Gallery.

Makes Me Think

Honestly speaking, I think I would... :)



(via tumblr)

December's Monthly Giveaway Result

Ruhi does the honours this month, and very carefully counts the number of entries, before preparing to draw...

And the winner is...

Congratulations, Molly! Please email me your mailing address, and your prize will be on its way! :)

Thank you so much everyone for playing! It has been really good fun. Hope to see you around the blog AND at next month's Giveaway!

Audrey and Ip

That'd be the legendary Audrey Hepburn and her pet fawn, Ip (short for Pippin). These mesmerising shots are from the Flickr stash of famed photographer, Bob Willoughby.

New stuff at Etsy

This is of halved turquoise nuggets, full of dramatic character. Topped with an ornate vermeil toggle clasp, its at once everyday glam and boho chic...

Click here for more pics from the shop.

Monthly Giveaway

Up for grabs this month, a pair of Baby Klimts, in moody faceted onyx, dusky pink and cream Swarovski pearls.

Measuring 2.5cm from the bottom of the 925 silver wire to the bottom of the onyx, they are quite the cutest thing, and elegant at the same time. ;)

Just leave a comment at this post if you are interested in receiving these for free! The winner will be announced on December 4th's post, so you have until then to leave your comment... Good luck!

Makes Me Wonder

What does it take to look like this at 47 years of age, other than, PERHAPS, a lot of photoshop?

I stress PERHAPS because there is a massive "hoo-hah" about how Demi Moore's image has been heavily touched-up for the cover of December's W magazine. Better yet, how her head has been cut-and-pasted onto the body of a supermodel.

What I want to know is, why is there so much hate going around? So what if she's been photoshopped? I'm sure it's not the first time a cover has been "improvised".

And, honestly, I really don't think that chunk of missing hip on the cover is a result of bad photoshopping, but really a happenstance of the wrong mix of camera angle and standing position.

In any case, it's not like she looks ENTIRELY different from her candid, can't-have-been-tampered-with red carpet shots...

Come on, all these au naturel shots don't lie: this very blessed 47-year-old is obviously Rawking It. Without photoshop.

So what's all this noise about? Sour grapes, methinks.


(via W magazine)

Thing To Remember

(via icanread)

Don't Mock Meat

I am a Sweet and Sour Pork maniac. I go to any Chinese restaurant, and must order Sweet and Sour Pork. I judge a restaurant's credibility and worth, based on its Sweet and Sour Pork.

But, since turning vegetarian again (I was vegetarian for a few years before Maya was born) a couple of months back, I have had to give up all my Sweet and Sour Pork dreams. Yes, I am vegetarian... with a little bit of seafood on the side every now and then. Yes, THAT type of "vegetarian".

Sweet and Sour Mock Pork looking tantalisingly like the real stuff...

So, yesterday I headed to a Chinese vegetarian restaurant to check out their mock meats. I had a craving for Sweet and Sour Pork, and went to settle for the alternative.

I tell you, they look so REAL... the "Beef" and Asparagus in Oyster Sauce, the Honey Glazed Roasted "Pork" Ribs, the Diced "Chicken" with Chilli and Cashew Nuts. I thought "This is SO COOL!"

Until, of course, I bit into the Sweet and Sour "Pork". Two words, man: NAS. TEE. It had a creepily spongey texture, and tasted distinctly of soy, and nothing like pork. Needless to say, I was crushed.

Anyhoo, I'm sticking to my vegetarian guns. It seriously feels good: I'm more energetic, positive and have developed a more "eat to live" attitude towards food, rather than having craving and gorging fits.

Not to say that meat is no good for you. But hey, whatever works right? One thing for sure, I won't be getting my meat-kicks from mock meat. No more mock meat for me. There's always Sweet and Sour Vegetables. :)

(pic via veganfriendly)

New commissioned stuff

This is for a lovely client in the UK who has been supporting my art.

The earrings are a version of something I had done way earlier. It's a stunning colour combo, and dramatically long.

The statement necklace with little earrings set is a customed one-of-a-kind creation she wanted for her mum. I thoroughly enjoyed working on the set, because the combination of stones sort of evolved from a colour scheme and concept she had provided me with. :)

Pink agate, turquoise, vermeil, 14K gold filled ear wire

Agates, jaspers, turquoise, quartz, with non-tarnish brass wire and closure

Jasper and turquoise, with vermeil and 14K gold filled ear wire